Weapons prove Iran’s role in Iraq
New forensic evidence proves that weapons being used by Iraqi insurgents against U.S. troops are being supplied by Iran, the Washington Post reported July 5.
According to senior U.S. officials, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq are using more sophisticated weapons than in the past to target U.S. troops and military bases. James F. Jeffrey, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, said Tuesday that forensic testing on weapons used in recent attacks in the country provides further proof that Iran is supporting Iraqi insurgents with new weapons and training.
“There is no doubt this is Iranian,” Jeffrey said in an interview. “We’re seeing more lethal weapons, more accurate weapons, more longer-range weapons. And we’re seeing more sophisticated mobile and other deployment options, and we’re seeing better-trained people.” Some weapons recovered still bore the identification numbers indicating they came from Iran.
June was the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Iraq in the past two years, with 15 being killed in a wave of Iranian-backed attacks. Three Shiite militia groups, which have been trained and supplied by Iranian Revolutionary Guard special forces, are mainly responsible for the violence, according to U.S. officials. Iranian special agents have crossed into Iraq to provide some of the training, they say.
The latest forensic evidence provides more concrete proof of what U.S. officials have long suspected. Michael Eisenstadt, director of military studies at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Iran has little reason to hide its support for groups attacking Americans in Iraq. “They’re feeling a lot more confident now, as the supreme leader is not worried about an American attack” on Iran, he said. Tehran, it seems, is quite happy to receive the credit for “driving” U.S. forces from Iraq.
As the Trumpet pointed out back in 2007, “America isn’t fighting Iran directly. But Iran is fighting America directly. With deliberate intent, Iran supplies and stokes the chaos in Iraq in order to break what the U.S. is trying to fix” (February 2007).
The Trumpet first printed the headline “Is Iraq About to Fall to Iran?” back in 1994. It seems this is exactly what is about to be completed as U.S. influence in Iraq dwindles.
